Anthropologie:A Catalog & A Calling-October 2012

In college, the walls of my apartment were covered with pages upon pages from months of Anthro catalogs. Throughout my four years in school I gave myself extra projects, planned photo shoots, coordinated fashion shows and anything else I could think of. All of this in hopes that someday my hard work would pay off and I would join the ranks at Anthropologie.

As fate would have it, a few months after graduation I found out they were coming to my home city (finally)! I knew that was exactly where I was supposed to be and after several interviews with various managers and recruiters, they agreed!!

As Oliver (my insanely adorable 2 yr old) would say, "Oh, boy!"

I spent 3 1/2years at Anthropologie on their visual team as the home&apparel merchandiser. There I met some of my dearest friends as well as some of the most talented folks I know. In addition, my very best friend, Sharime K of Wear&Ware is still the (ridiculously skilled) visual merchandiser at the New Orleans store. So you see, this brand...this lifestyle...this culture will always be a part of me.

Though life has since brought me away from the store and in another direction, I can't help but feel like I am still part of it all somehow. I can't shake this Anthro way of thinking and quite frankly I'm okay with that. Still, years later, I anxiously await the new catalog each month and study each of it's pages.

It's like visiting an old friend- so familiar yet eager to learn what's new.

I (over) analyze each page:

what is each item paired with

is this a key item

what is the layout of the photos...why

what story are they telling

how does the location emphasize the feeling

how do the colors work together & flow

is there balance in styles & classes

what props are used to add depth to the setting

what are the different materials/textures in the shot

etc. etc.

I don't know why I still seem to be surprised at how much I love the catalogs. You would think it would have lost its zest for me by now. Nope! No way! No how! I especially enjoyed the October 2012 catalog. If there is one thing Anthropologie does well, it's Fall. Don't get me wrong- Summer & Spring are nice too. But come Fall when those special sweaters and boots start coming in I feel myself sigh and say "Ahhh! There you are Anthro. There's the Anthro I fell in love with."

Did I mention that I cried the first time I went into an Anthropologie store?

Look, it was a moment of discovery! Don't judge me!

Back to the catalog! It was by far my favorite of the last several months.

I immediately then headed to the website to further check out all the new goodies.